Ash-sifting device



F. H. LEHMAN.

ASH SIFTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED OCT-1'1, 1920. 1,403,469, Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET x. 54 63' 19 7g .3 J5 6' 6 6' J6 4 81 I 16' as Z Q' .1.

F. H. LEHMAN.

ASH SIFTING DEVICE.

. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11. 1920.

1,403,469 Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- UNITED STATES PA-TElil'l GFFlCE.

ASH-SIFTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1922.

Application filed October 11, 1920. Serial No, 416,254.

T GZZ wizom it may concerns Be it known that I, FRANK H. LnHrrAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Lebanon, county of Lebanon, and

State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ash- Sifting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

l The present invention relates to 1mprovements in ash sifting devices, and more especially to those adapted to be used 1n the housbhold for sitting ashes drawn Irom stoves and furnaces,

in my eo-pending application, Number 371,696ifiled April 6, 1920, I have disclosed and claimed a dustless ash sitter capable of being used conjunction with an ash can of the conventional, cylindrical type, and consisting in its main features or" a portable ash containing andsitting element in the term of bucret or pail together with means For moun .ng and rotating the element in a removable hood fitting over the top or" the can. The present invention is directed to improvements in the construction and arrangement of the parts constituting the prior invention The principal features of nov city reside in the novel, economic and efficient construction of the portable element wherein the ashes are adapted to be carried and sifted; the means for mounting, supporting, coupling and rotating the element within the lioou; the means for detachably bin ing the hood over the edge of the can to e U to be swung to a position permit, ting ot the insertion and adjustment of the element therein; the elimination of parts fouui'l objection ble in the former invention, and the su itution therefor 01? other improved parts not having the objectionable iies ures. Other minor objects and features ioyelty will be apparent from the description taken in connection with the accoinpa: ng drawings in which v Figure l is a centrahyertical, sectional C an embodimentof my invention,

the portable ash containing elelil showing mentmounted in position ior rotation in the hood.

the openings 5 juncture oi the two portions with their Figure 3 is an elevation, partly in section, ofthe portable ash containing element.

Figure l is a top View o'f'said element, and Figure 5, a bottom view thereof.

, Figure 6 is a fragmentary view taken on line 66 of Figure 1; Figure 7, a fragmentary view taken on line 77 of Figure 2; and Figure 8, a fragmentary view of the lower interior edge portion of the hood,

showing the hinge member attached thereto.

rieferring more particularly to the drawings, the ash containing and sitting element employed for carrying and separating the ashes, is constructed substantially in the form of a bucket or pail, open at the top, and having a closed impertorate bottom 3, and a bail l secured to the upper portion thereof whereby it may be carried in substantially upright vertical position. In the present instance, the body of the element extends continuously from the bottom to the top and'is provided with openings 5 intermediate the top and bottom of sutficient size and extent to permit the liner consumed particles of the ashes to freely pass therethrough and thus drop out of the element when the latter is disposed and rotated on a substantially horizontr 7 L1 axis in the manner hereinatter described. Preferably the body is made with upwardly and outwardly flaringlower portion 6, and an inwardly and upwardly extending upper portion 7, and

' are disposed adjacent upper edges 8 in a plane parallel with the plane of the bottom 8. As shown, the upoer portion is constructed and arranged so to extend a limited distance into the ower portion and has marginal parts adjaent its lower edge cut away to form the n is attached, as by rivets 10, or in any other suitable manner, to the inner face 11 of the lower portion. The two portions telescope to such an extent as is requisite for preventin o; ashes which percolate through the open ings 5 from running out over the upper edge 12 of the lower portion 6 when the element is filled with ashes and either placed or carried in upright position, which as will be readily understood is dependent on the width of the openings and also somewhat on the relative location of the openings with the 7 o enings 5, leaving leg members 9 whereby respect to the top and bottom of the element. Preferably I locate the openings relatively close to the top of the element and provide a margin of safety by carrying the upper edge 12 of the lower portion 6 upward to a plane slightly above the plane of the upper edge 8 of the openings.

The sifting member employed in the present improvement consists of a shell 14 of foraminous material contained in spaced relation within the body of the element, the

cheaply made and secured in position by rolling up a sheet of foraminous material in the form of a cylinder, placing the same in the body while the upper portion 7 is detached therefrom, and then bringing said portion firmly down over the upper edge of the shell and attaching it to the lower body portion (3, the diameter of the shell at its upper edge being for this purpose made slightly greater than the diameter of the mouth of the element.

As will be understood the shell may be frustocone shaped or may be of irregular cross sectional outline or both the body and the shell may be of a variety of different forms and shapes, all falling within the scope of the appended claims. 7

The invention contemplates the employment of a portable containing element thus constructed in the capacity of a rotary Sifter, whereby ashes deposited therein may be effectually sifted and separated, the valuable unconsumedportionsof the ash being retalned 1n the element, and the 'finer consumed portions thereof, dropping through the. shell, discharged and ejected through the openings in the body. The means preferably adopted for thus using the container comprise, a cylindrical hood 16 adapted to be removably seated on an ash can 17 of the conventional, cylindrical type, said hood having imperforate side walls 18 and a closed top 19 and the same being internally provided with an inwardly extending peripheral flange 20 offset above its lower edge 21 for engaging the upper edge 22 of the can, the joint between the can and the hood being thus made tight and substantially dust proof. J ournaled in a bearing 23, disposed within the hood and adjacent one of the side walls thereof, is a short shaft 24, which extends outwardly through a suitable opening in the side wall and is provided externally of the hood with a crank 25, whereby it is adapted to be rotated. At its inner end said shaft carries a hub 26 which is adapted to be removably secured thereto in any convenient and suitable manner, as by means of a cotter pin 27 passing through the hub and the shaft, and the hub when thus secured to the shaft abuts against the bearing 23 and acts in conjunction with the arm 28 of the crank to prevent lateral displacement of the shaft in the bearing. Adjacent the inner end of the hub are provided radial projections 29 constituting a coupling member which is adapted to engage a suitable eooperating coupling member consisting of an annulus 30 attached in spaced relation to the bottom 3 of the containing element. Badially opposite the shaft within the hood and at a sufficient distance from the inner end of the hubto permit the insertion of the containing element, is disposed a dished head or cover 31 provided with a peripheral flanged rim 82 of slightly larger diameter than the mouth of the element, said head being adapted to enter the mouth of the element and act as a closure andsupport therefor. Said head is rotatively mounted on a pivot 33 which, when the head is in closed position on the element, extends toward the hub 26 and is in axial alignment with the shaft, and said pivot is carried by an arm 34; hingedly depending from the top of the hood and arranged for movement in a vertical plane coinciding with the axis of the shaft. Thus, as will be seen, the head 31 is operatively arranged to be swung into and out of engagement with the containing element at the will of the operator, whercbythe element may by a simple movement be at once securely closed and efleectively supported for rotary movement on horizontal axis.

For the purpose of more securely retaining the containing element in horizontal supported position within the hood, I hinge the arm 341' to the top of the hood at a point 35 intermediate the planes of the ends of the element when so mounted, thereby causing inward pressure of the head against the mouth of the element due to the weight of theelement on'the head and thus effecting a clamping or tongue-like grip on the element between the head and the hub 26.

In the present instance I hinge the arm to the hood by bending over the upper or free end portion 36 thereof horizontally or at right angles to the plane common to the arm and the pivot 33 and inserting said end 7 portion through a bracket 37 attached to the top of the hook and provided with a suit able opening to receive the same. Said horizontal portion of thearm is made of sufficient length to protrude from the opposite side of the bracket and is surrounded by a spiral spring '38, normally retained there on under slight compression between the bracket and an end abutment, as by a washer 410 secured by a pin 50 on the exrcmity of the arm, thus drawing the portion 51 of the arm adjacent the elbow 52 thereof closely in against the front face 53 of the bracket.

A lug 5% of suitable form provided on the bracket in the path of travel ofthe 'arm,'cooperates with the spring to yieldably retain the head in its respective closed and ex tremcly remote or open positions.

To obviate the necessity oi providing any objectionable openings in the head wherethrough ashes might exude, the head is mounted on the pivot 33 by means oi socket piece centrally mounted on the outer face thereof, the pivot entering the socket a sufficient distance to afford a substantial bearing and abutting against an internal thrust shoulder therein. Preferably the pivot is secured in the socket by extending a re duced terminal portion 5'7 thereof inwardly beyond the shoulder 56 and sli htly upsetting or riveting the same. It will be noted that with this construction, by properly flan ing the socket, the head may be given sui ficient lateral and angular play to permit of its easy reception into the mouth oi the containing element when moved into engagement therewith.

To avoid spilling the ashes while introducing and securing the ash containing element in the rotary means provided within the hood, it is obviously essential that the containing element be continuously held and maintained in a substantially vertical upright position throughout the entire mounting operation, and it is one of the features of this invention to provide hingand supporting means for the hood adapted for detachable engagement over the edge or the can which enable the hood to be turned into suitable position for the accomplishment of this operation without the necessity of bodily lifting and removing the same from the can. in my copending application hereinbefore referred to, I provide means for the attainment ct this end wilich while practical and eilicient, are nevertheless :tound somewhat objectionable owing to the fact that the same involve parts which normally, when the hood is in closed positionover the can, project outwardly therefrom, making tne device unsightly, renderingit inconvenient to handle load in shipment, and forming a hin CPGDOB to the operator in its ordinary practical use.

in the pres nt invention 1 provide improved hin 1g and si'ipporting means for the hoodcon. of an mte v 1 like membe securec. izter'orly to i l of the hood, no portion of which projec outside of: the same and is entirely out oi the way and comp covered and 'invisible when the hooo. s seate ciosen position over the tan ember is secured to the inner face 0 of the hood in vertl and come extend? cal l n mher is extent an out-wart ly extending bill 60, the parts being so formed and disposed that the inner face 61 of the shank proceeds inwardly and downwardly in an irregular curve from the plane otthe lower face oi": the flange 20 to a point adjacent the plane of thelower edge of the hood, and the inner face 62 of the bill, from a point slightly below said last named plane outwardly and downwardly in a curve to a rounded point normally spaced an appreciable distance from the adjacent wall 6% of the can when the hood is in such closed position thereon. Thus it will be apparent that when the hood. is swung upwardly and outwardly as by means of the handle 65 in a direction to bring the hook member into en 'agement with the edge of the can, the shank of the hook will ride outwardly over said edge until the inner iace of the bill impinges against the inner marginal face oi the can and the edge of the hood at the point thereof proximate the hook member abut-s against the outer face of the can as at 41, thus bringing the hood into approximately right angular relation to the can and supporting the same in such position, where it will open and easily accessible for the introduction of the containing element in the required manner.

inorder to provide as large a space as possible for the introduction and removal of the containing element while the hood is supported in such open position, the mouth of the hook member made relatively shallow, whereby the main portion of the hood is thrown above the edge of the can leaving a sufiicient opening between the edge and the upper wall of the hood to enable the operator to take up the elem nt by the bail and freely hit the same over the edge into appropriate position on the shaft It willbe apparent, that inasmuch as the center of gravity of the hood while in this position is located a considerable di, anceabove the point of support, the hood would ordinarily be unstable and have a tendency to rotate vertically on the'hook and thus drop oil of the can. 'ffoov ome his tendency and obviate the possibil iv of such rotation, the hook l laterally as at 65 and '66 anyacent the bight oi the hook and is made so as to conform substantially with the con the e 0; tne can as shown by 8, thus in effect securing hood and t and PM e rm the hood in upright po 1e shank of the hook is continued :eir-

tie same extended width v rotary tendency such as the opening movement 1e hood is downthe hook impinges against and rocks over the inner marginal face of the can and acts in the manner of a cam to draw the flange 20 upwardly and inwardly to its seating position on the edge of the can. The bill is made of sufficient strength and rigidity to withstand the strain of this movement and is restricted in width as at (38 so as to minimize friction due to the sliding contact thereof with the can, thereby enabling the hood to be closed down over the can with slight effort. For the purpose of rigidly securing the hinge to the hood and preventing buckling in the adjacent side wall of the latter, I provide the hook member with a reinforcing arm 69 which extends into and is secured to the inner face of the hood, and for economy of construction and manufacture, I preferably form the shaft bearing 23 on the upper end of this arm, making the bearing, the arm, and the hook as an integral casting, drop forging, or the like. It will be observed that the hook member is normally out of engagement with the can when the hood is in closed position thereon, and that when it is therefore desired to empty the can or otherwise separately handle the same, the hood may be readily removed therefrom by simply lifting it vertically by the handle 65 a slight distance above the edge of the can, when the hook member will clear the edge and leave the hood entirely free to be withdrawn, there being no attachments or engaging parts, requiring to be undone, which might tend to prevent or hinder such immediate removal; and it will be likewise observed that when the hood is in closed position 011 the can, the hook member is contained wholly within the hood and the can, being entirely invisible, and that a hinge isthus provided which has no outwardly projecting parts such as might prove a hindrance to the operator in the ordinary use of the device, or might render the same awkward or difficult to handle and crate in shipment.

To facilitate the mounting of the ash containing element on the rotary means within the hood and to enable this operation to be performed simply and withoutthe exercise of any skill on the part of the operator, I provide means within the hood whereon the element, when placed centrally and vertically over the shaft 24, is adapted to be independently supported in uprightposition, thereby relieving the operator of the necessity of manually supporting the same while making the remaining adjustments. Said supporting means are preferably made in the form of radial projections, as arms 75, extending radially outward at intervals from the shaft with their'upper edges 76 in a plane at right angles to the shaft, said arms being adapted to engage the outer face 77 of the annular coupling member 30 on the bottom of the element and the same being disposed with their said upper edges a suit able distance from the inner end of the shaft to enable the coupling members to freely slide into engagement with one another. Since the annulus 30 is centrally disposed on the bottom of the containing element, it will be clear that the latter will, without other support, stand upright on theshaft 15 when placed on the arms 75 with the shaft coupling member within the annulus. To admit of the easy reception and withdrawal of the containing element on and from the shaft, the annulus is made of suitable inside diameter to freely receive the shaft coupling mem her, and the arms 7 5 are made of sufficient length to engage the annulus without regard to the position of the shaft coupling element therein. Preferably the arms 75 are made integral with the hub 26 and one of the arms carries at its outer extremity a forwardly or inwardly extending lug 78 adapted when the coupling members are in engagement to slidably impinge against a eo-operating lug 79 projecting from the annulus 30, in the path thereof, for the transmission of rotary movement from the shaft to the containing element. The portion 80 of the hub between arms 75 and the coupling projections 29 is in the present instance made circular in cross section, the annular face thereof being adapted to slidably engage the inner peripheral edge of the annulus for the purpose of supporting the containing element when the latter is horizontally mountedand rotated thereon, while the projections 29 engage the inner face 81 of the annulus to retain the element axially on the hub.

In operation, the ash containing element is placed in a convenient position adjacent a stove or furnace and filled with ashes from the ash pit in the usualmanner. Such portion of the ashes as escape through the foraminous shell of the element while the lat ter is in upright position, are caught in the body thereof, and in casesuch escaping ashes should rise to the height of the openings 5 and pass therethrough, the same are prevented from falling out of the body and scattering on the floor through the intervention of the upper'edge 12 of the lower portion of the body, which as previously stated extends slightly above the upper edges of the openings. WVhen thus filled, the containing element is taken up by the bail in the samemanner as an ordinary pail, and carried to the ash can. The hood is now swung back on the hinge member to its open position, and the'containing element lifted and introduced therein and placed centrally over the shaft, where it will rest on the support ing arms 75 with the shaft coupling member extending into the annular coupling mem ber of the element. The head 31 is then drawn down into closed position over the mouth of the element where it will be securely held by the action of the spring 38 and the lug 5st on the arm 3 When the hood is now returned to closed position over the can, the bottom end of the element slides downmirdl until the annulus contacts and rests on the hub 26, when the coupling members will be in engagement with each other and the containing element will assume its operative horizontal position over the can. 3* turning the crank, rotary motion is now imparted to the element through the medium of the driving lug 78 acting on the lug 79. As the ashes sift through the shell 14, they fall into the body of the element, whence, due to the downward inclination of the two portions of the body, they are ejected through the openings 5 into the ash can be low. After the ashes have thus been thoroughly sifted, the apparatus is left to stand undisturbed for a sufficient period to enable the dust to become thoroughly settled, when the hood is again opened and the containing element with the reclaimed cinders therein removed.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment thereof hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it may be embodied in various other forms within the scope of the following claims:

1. An ash sieving device including a portable ash container in the form of a pail open at the top and having an imperforate bottom and body, a foraminous ash receptacle within the body and spaced therefrom, means for closing the top of the container, and openings in the body intermediate the top and bottom of the container for permitting ashes which sift through the receptacle to drop outof the container when the latter is disposed and rotated on a substantially horizontal axis.

2. An ash sieving device including a portable ash container in the form of a pail open at the top and having an imperforate bottom and body, a foraminous ash receptacle within the body and spaced therefrom, means for closing the top of the container, and openings of restricted longitudinal width peripherallydisposed about the body intermediate the top and bottom of the container for permitting ashes which shift through the receptacle to drop out of the container when the latter is disposed and rotated on a substantially horizontal axis.

3. An ash sieving device including aport able ash container in the form of a pail open at the top and having an imperforate bottom andbody, a foraminous ash receptacle within the body and spaced therefrom, means for closing the top of the container, and a series of elongated openings of restricted longitudinal width peripherally disposed about the body intermediate the top and bottom of the container, the upper edges of said openings being in a plane parallel with the plane of the bottom of the con tainer for permitting ashes which sift through said receptacle to drop out of the container when the latter is disposed and rotated on a substantially horizontal axis.

4. An ash sieving device includinga portable ash container in the form of a pail having a body comprising an upwardly flaring lower portion and a downwardly flaring upper portion, said portions being rigidly secured together adjacent their upper and lower edges respectively, a foraminous ash receptacle within said body and spaced therefrom, means for closing the top of said container, and openings in the body adjacent the juncture of the upper and lower portions thereof for permitting asheswhich sift through said receptacle to drop out of the container when the latter is disposed and rotated on a substantiallyhorizontal axis.

5. An ash sieving device including a portable ash container in the form of a pail having a body comprising a relatively high upwardly flaring lower portion and a relatively low downwardly flaring upper portion rigidly secured at its lower edge to said lower portion, a foraminous ash receptacle within said body and spaced therefrom, means for closing the top of the container, and parts of the body adjacent the juncture of said upper and lower portions thereof being cut away to form openings for permitting ashes which sift through said receptacle to drop out of the container when the latter is disposed and rotated on a substantially horizontal axis.

6. An ash sieving device including a portable ash container in the. form of a pail having a body including an upwardly flaring lower portion and a downwardly flaring upper portion, said upper portion extending into said lower portion and being rigidly secured thereto, and marginal parts adjacent the lower edge of the upper portion being cut away to form openings between said portions. 7

7. An ash sieving device including a portable ash container inthe form of a pail having a body comprising upper and lower sections, the upper section extending into and being rigidly secured at its lower edge to the lower section, and having portions of said edge cut away to form openings between the sections, the upper edges of said openings being transversely spaced from the upper edge of said lower section and being disposed slightly below the same.

8. An ash sieving device including a portable'ash container in the form of a pail open at the top and having a closed bottom, a foraminous ash receptacle, open at the top, within said container and resting on the bottom thereof, said receptacle being spaced from the surrounding body of the container, and the upper portion of the container extending inwardly and upwardly over the upper edge of the receptacle to re tain the same within the container.

9. An ash sieving device including a portable ash container in the form of a pail open at the top and having a closed bottom, a foraminous ash receptacle, open at the top, Within said container and resting on the bottom thereof, said receptacle being spaced from the surrounding body, and the upper portion of the container being formed to contact the upper part of said receptacle to retain the same in the container in proper spaced relation to the body.

10. An ash sieving device including a portable ash container in the form of a pail open at the top and having a closed bottom, an ash receptacle consisting of a substantially cylindrical shell of f0 'aminous material disposed within the container in spaced relation to the surrounding body thereof, said receptacle resting with its lower edge on the bottom of the container, and the upper portion of the container adjacent the mouth thereof extending inwardly and upwardly over the receptacle and impinging marginally against the upper edge thereof to securely hold the same against the bottom and retain the same in proper spaced relation to the body.

11. In an ash sieving device, an ash containing and sieving element and means for detachably mounting said element for "rotation on a substantially horizontal. axis, said means including a rotatable shaft carrying a coupling member at one end thereof adapted to enter and engage a co-operating coupling member mounted on said element. said last named coupling member comprising an annulus carried by said element and spaced therefrom, and said shaft coupling member comprising an annular hub adapted to enter and engage the inner edge of said annulus to afford vertical support for said element and including radial extensions on the end of the hub-adapted to engage between said annulus and said element to prevent lateral. displacement of the element when supported. on the hub; and co-operating means carried by said. shaft and by said element for the transmission of rotary movement from the former to the latter while the latter is thus supported and engaged.

. 12. In an ash sieving device, an ash con taining and sieving element and means for detachably mounting said element for r0tation on a substantially horizontal axis, said means including a rotatable shaft carrying a coupling member adapted to engage a co- 0 )erating coupling member carried by said element for supporting said element and preventing axial dislocation therewith, a driving arm on said shaft and a lug on said element projecting in the path of said arm and against which said arm is adapted to impinge when said shaft is rotated, for the transmission of rotary movement from said shaft to said element.

13. In an ash sieving device, the combina tion with an ash can open at the top, of a portable ash containing and sieving element and means for detachably mounting said element for rotation over the mouth of the can, said means including a rotatable shaft journaled in a mounting adapted to swing over the edge of the can whereby said shaft may be disposed in a vertical axial position adjacent one side of the can, and thence turned to a horizontal axial position over the mouth of the can, co-operating coupling members on said shaft and said element, and a supporting member on said shaft for independently supporting said element in an upright position on said shaft while the latter is in vertical axial position.

14. In an ash sieving device, the combination with an ash can open at the top, of a portable ash containing and sieving element and means for detachably mounting said element for rotation over the mouth of the can, said means including a rotatable shaft journaled in a mounting adapted to swing over the edge of the can whereby said shaft may be disposed in a vertical axial position adjacent one side of the can and, thence turned to a horizontal axial position over the mouth of the can, co-operating coupling members 011 said shaft and said element adapted to freely enter each other when said element is placed on the shaft while the latter is in vertical. axial position, and a supporting member on said shaft for independently maintaining said element in upright position when so placed on the shaft,

said supporting member being adapted to permit said element to shift transversely of the shaft to enable one of said coupling members to slide into engagement with the other when said shaft is turned to horizontal position over the mouth of the can.

15. In an ash sieving device, a portable, rotatable ash containing and sieving element, and means for mounting and rotating the same, said means including a coupling member in the form of an annulus disposed on the bottom of the element and spaced therefrom, and a shaft carrying a co-operating coupling element in the form of a hub adapted to enter said annulus and having radial extensions adapted to engage the innor face of said annulus, said hub having additional radial extensions adapted to engage the outer face of said annulus to provide means whereby the element may be loosely and detachably supported on the shaft when the latter is in a vertical axial position, and a driving 'arm on said hub adapted to impings a ainst a lug on said annulus for transmitting rotary movement from said shaft to said element.

16. The combination with an ash can open at the top, of a mounting for detachably receiving and rotating a containing and sie ing element over the can, and a. hinge member in the form of a hook adapted for engagement over the edge of the can, said mounting including a rotatable shaft joure naled in a bracket formed as an integral part of said hinge member.

17. in an ash sieving device, an ash containing and sieving element open at one end and closed at the other end, and means for detachably mounting said element for rotation on a substantially horizontal. axis, said such movement from a point above said element and intermediate the ends thereof.

in testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK H. LEHMAN. Witnesses IDA V. Cox, N. L. GELBAGH. 

